Hong Kong Film: Short mules have no future, I am in charge of Hong Kong

Chapter 363 An Even Bigger Storm
Li Wei said nothing more, turned and left the gambling table, disappearing into the depths of the casino. Su Hanze and Xia Xue exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

"The next move must be even more swift," Su Hanze said in a low voice.

“We’re ready.” Xia Xue nodded.

The air in the casino seemed heavier than before, smoke rising slowly under the dim lights, like a thin veil shrouding the entire hall. Su Hanze and Xia Xue stood there, watching Li Wei's figure disappear into the crowd. Their eyes met, a tacit understanding forming between them—the game tonight had only just begun.

Xia Xue whispered, "He didn't completely give in, but he didn't completely refuse either. He's testing us."

Su Hanze nodded slightly, his eyes cold: "Li Wei is the kind of person who won't easily take sides. He knows Shen Changqing's situation is unstable, but he also understands the risks of cooperating with us. He needs more leverage."

"Bargaining chips?" Xia Xue raised an eyebrow, her tone tinged with a hint of mockery. "We don't have anything to offer him right now, except for a few nice words."

"Nice words?" Su Hanze's lips curled into a meaningful smile. "Xia Xue, you underestimate yourself. Your status and your background are just bargaining chips to him. And..." He paused, his gaze sweeping to another corner of the casino, "we have other cards to play tonight."

Xia Xue followed his gaze and noticed the staircase on the other side of the casino. There stood a young man, wearing a gray long robe and a round hat pulled low, obscuring half his face. He stood in the shadows, holding a cigarette, the butt glowing and dimming in the darkness, as if observing something.

"Who is that?" Xia Xue asked in a low voice, her tone more wary.

“Chen Qiming.” Su Hanze’s voice was calm, but carried a hint of barely perceptible gravity. “He is another confidant of Shen Changqing, in charge of the accounts in this area of ​​the casino. He is not as high-profile as Li Wei, but he is clearer-headed than Li Wei. He knows every transaction and every account of Shen Changqing.”

Xia Xue narrowed her eyes slightly: "You mean, he might be more crucial than Li Wei?"

“Yes.” Su Hanze’s gaze was fixed on Chen Qiming. “Li Wei is Shen Changqing’s knife, sharp enough, but also easy to break. Chen Qiming is Shen Changqing’s ledger, quiet, but deadly. As long as we can take him down, Shen Changqing’s trump card will be laid bare before us.”

Xia Xue nodded thoughtfully: "So what do we do now? Go directly to him?"

“No.” Su Hanze shook his head, his tone steady. “Chen Qiming is more cautious than Li Wei. If we go directly to him, he will immediately become suspicious. We have to make him come to us on his own.”

"He walked over by himself?" Xia Xue frowned. "How is that possible?"

Su Hanze chuckled softly, a sly glint in his eyes: "Xia Xue, have you forgotten our real purpose for coming here tonight? We're not here to negotiate, we're here to create chaos."

Xia Xue was taken aback for a moment, then understood what he meant, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly: "You want to cause trouble here?"

“Yes.” Su Hanze’s gaze swept across the entire casino. “This place will be lively tonight.”

The atmosphere in the casino remained oppressive. Gamblers spoke in hushed tones, the clinking of dice and chips echoing throughout. Su Hanze and Xia Xue sat down again, ordered two glasses of whiskey, and casually observed their surroundings. A short while later, a woman in a black cheongsam approached, her steps light and a professional smile on her face. She carried a tray with two glasses of whiskey on it, and as she placed it on the table, she said softly, "Gentlemen, someone would like to invite you over for a drink."

Su Hanze raised an eyebrow and took the wine glass: "Who?"

The woman smiled slightly and nodded towards the stairwell: "Mr. Chen."

Xia Xue and Su Hanze exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised. Chen Qiming had actually come to their door on his own initiative, which was faster than they had expected. Su Hanze calmly picked up his wine glass and gently swirled it: "Tell Mr. Chen that we're coming right away."

The woman nodded and turned to leave. Xia Xue whispered, "This guy is more proactive than we thought. What's he up to?"

“He’s testing us,” Su Hanze replied in a low voice. “Chen Qiming isn’t like Li Wei; he doesn’t show himself easily. The fact that he took the initiative to contact us means he’s already heard rumors and knows we’re coming to see Li Wei tonight. He wants to find out what we’re up to.”

"So how do we deal with this?" Xia Xue tapped her fingers lightly on the table, her tone tinged with excitement.

“To tell you the truth,” Su Hanze said calmly, “but only half of it.”

The two men rose and walked through the casino's clamor toward the stairwell. Chen Qiming remained in the shadows, his eyes beneath his hat brim cold and sharp. Seeing them approach, he stubbed out his cigarette and nodded slightly: "Gentlemen, how about we find a quiet place to talk?"

Su Hanze smiled and said, "Mr. Chen is being so polite, of course we have no objection."

Chen Qiming didn't say anything more, turned around and led them upstairs to the second floor. The corridor on the second floor was dimly lit, with a few old-fashioned kerosene lamps hanging on the walls, their flickering light casting long shadows. They entered a small private room, which contained only a round table and a few chairs. On the table were an opened bottle of foreign liquor and several empty glasses.

"Sit down." Chen Qiming gestured to a chair, sat down first, and lit a new cigarette. He exhaled a puff of smoke, his gaze shifting between Su Hanze and Xia Xue: "I heard you two just talked to Li Wei?"

"The news spreads quite quickly." Su Hanze pulled out a chair and sat down, his tone relaxed. "Mr. Chen seems quite concerned about Shen Changqing's situation, given how much he cares about our conversation with Li Wei?"

Chen Qiming smiled, a hint of coldness in his smile: "Shen Changqing's situation? Hmph, I never need to worry about Boss Shen's situation. I only care about whether my own accounts are clean."

"Ledgers?" Xia Xue interjected, her tone laced with provocation. "Mr. Chen's ledgers probably don't just record the casino's transactions, do they? I've heard that many of Shen Changqing's businesses have to go through your hands."

Chen Qiming's eyes darkened slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "Miss Xia is very well-informed. However, Boss Shen's business is not something anyone can just ask about. You came to see Li Wei tonight, and then you came to see me. What exactly do you want?"

Su Hanze picked up the wine glass on the table, swirled it gently, and said calmly, "Mr. Chen, let's get straight to the point. You should know that Shen Changqing killed James. His backer is very angry now, and Shen Changqing's position is no longer secure. You are a smart man, you should understand that following someone who is about to fall will not end well."

Chen Qiming's expression remained unchanged, but he lightly tapped his fingers on the table: "Your information comes quite quickly. However, the matter of Boss Shen is not what you think. As for James, he has his own plans. You think it won't be so easy for me to betray Boss Shen."

“Betrayal?” Su Hanze smiled. “Mr. Chen, you’ve misunderstood. We’re not asking you to betray Shen Changqing; we’re asking you to think about your own future. Shen Changqing’s ship is sinking. Are you going to continue sinking with him, or find a new ship?”

Chen Qiming was silent for a moment, then slowly exhaled a puff of smoke: "You make it sound so easy. How much have you really figured out about Shen Changqing's background? How much do you know about his backers? Don't think that just because he killed James, his position is truly insecure." Xia Xue sneered: "Mr. Chen, don't try to scare me. No matter how strong Shen Changqing's backers are, they can't stop him from being surrounded by enemies. How many of his subordinates have already started looking for their own escape routes? You won't be the last one to realize this, will you?"

A flash of anger crossed Chen Qiming's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. He said in a low voice, "If you want me to help you, you have to show me something real. Who will believe empty words?"

Su Hanze and Xia Xue exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly. Su Hanze took a folded piece of paper from his pocket and pushed it in front of Chen Qiming: "Take a look at this."

Chen Qiming frowned, opened the paper, and saw a handwritten list containing several names and brief transaction records. His expression changed slightly, and his gaze quickly swept over the contents of the paper: "This is..."

"The trade records between Shen Changqing and James," Su Hanze said in a low voice. "Shen Changqing thought no one knew about these trades, but we have a way to get them. You're in charge of the accounts, so you should know better than anyone else how Shen Changqing's backers will view him once these records are made public."

Chen Qiming's fingers tightened slightly, the paper becoming somewhat deformed from his grip. He was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Where did you get this?"

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Su Hanze said calmly. “You just need to know that what we have is enough to make Shen Changqing’s backer completely lose faith in him. If you help us, we can guarantee your safety and even give you a place in the new situation.”

Chen Qiming remained silent, his gaze shifting back and forth between the paper and Su Hanze. Finally, he folded the paper, stuffed it into his pocket, and whispered, "What do you want me to do?"

Su Hanze smiled slightly: "It's very simple. Give us Shen Changqing's ledgers, all of them. We know that you have all of his transaction records."

Chen Qiming's face darkened: "Are you crazy? If those ledgers are leaked, not only will Shen Changqing be doomed, but I will also be dead without a burial place."

"That depends on your choice," Xia Xue interjected, her tone cold and hard. "Give us the ledgers, and we'll keep you safe. If you don't, do you think you can escape the day Shen Changqing falls from power?"

Chen Qiming gritted his teeth, a hint of struggle flashing in his eyes. He looked down at the table, remained silent for a long time, and finally spoke: "Okay, I can consider it. But I need time."

"Time?" Su Hanze raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Chen, time isn't on our side. Shen Changqing's backers are already starting to suspect him. How much time do you think they'll give you?"

Chen Qiming sneered: "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You want me to take risks, but what about yourselves? What makes you think I can believe you can stand up to Shen Changqing's backer?"

Su Hanze's gaze sharpened: "Based on what we have, and on the fact that we know more than you, Mr. Chen, you are a smart man and should know how to choose."

Chen Qiming was silent for a moment, then finally stood up: "Three days. I will give you an answer in three days."

"Two days." Su Hanze didn't back down. "We'll meet at the usual place in two days. If you don't come, we'll come looking for you."

Chen Qiming didn't say anything more, turned around, pushed open the door, and disappeared at the end of the corridor. Su Hanze and Xia Xue exchanged a glance, their eyes both filled with seriousness.

"Will he cooperate?" Xia Xue asked in a low voice.

“He will,” Su Hanze said calmly. “He has no way out.”

The two left the private room and returned to the casino lobby. The air was still thick with the smell of tobacco and alcohol, but the atmosphere seemed even more tense than before. Su Hanze's gaze swept across the lobby, noticing several unfamiliar faces talking quietly in a corner, their eyes occasionally glancing in their direction.

"Someone's watching us," Xia Xue said in a low voice, her hand unconsciously tightening around the pistol in her bag.

“As expected.” Su Hanze’s voice was calm. “Shen Changqing’s men won’t let us succeed so easily. We need to be careful tonight.”

They walked out of the casino, the Hong Kong streets unusually deserted under the night sky. Neon lights flickered in the distance, and street vendors on the corners still hawked their roast meats and noodles with enticing calls. Su Hanze and Xia Xue walked side by side, their steps steady, but both of their eyes were secretly observing their surroundings.

"What do we do next?" Xia Xue asked in a low voice.

"Wait," Su Hanze said calmly. "Wait for Chen Qiming's reply, and also for Shen Changqing's reaction. Tonight's events will soon reach his ears."

"What do you think he will do?" Xia Xue frowned.

“He will try to stabilize the situation.” Su Hanze’s eyes were cold. “But the more he tries to stabilize it, the more opportunities we will have.”

As night deepened, the streets of Hong Kong appeared increasingly eerie under the lights. Su Hanze and Xia Xue's figures gradually disappeared around the street corner, while the casino lights continued to flicker in the night sky, as if foreshadowing an even greater storm to come.

Two nights later, in an old teahouse by the dock, Su Hanze and Xia Xue sat at a corner table. The teahouse was sparsely populated, with only a few sailors conversing quietly, and a faint aroma of tea filled the air. Su Hanze looked down at his teacup, his gaze calm, while Xia Xue occasionally looked up, observing the direction of the door.

"Will he come?" Xia Xue asked in a low voice.

“He will,” Su Hanze said in a low voice. “He has no choice.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the door of the teahouse was pushed open, and Chen Qiming walked in. He was still wearing that gray long gown, with the brim of his hat pulled low, obscuring half of his face. He went straight to their table, sat down, and took out a thick brown paper bag from his pocket, pushing it in front of Su Hanze.

"What you want," Chen Qiming said calmly, but with a hint of weariness in his eyes, "is all here."

Su Hanze took the paper bag, opened it, and glanced inside. It contained a densely packed stack of handwritten account books. He nodded and looked at Chen Qiming: "You did a great job."

"Don't thank me yet," Chen Qiming sneered. "If these ledgers are leaked, Shen Changqing won't let me off the hook. You'd better keep your word and keep me safe."

(End of this chapter)